ALPS Mountaineering Orion 2 Tent

What a pleasant surprise this tent has turned out to be. When I bought it, I went on all my backpacking trips solo so I had a one man tent and a hammock. My son told me he wanted to go on my next trip with me so we planned an overnight on the AT and I got this tent from the REI outlet for around $60. My boy and I slept in it in the backyard a few times and then went on an overnight to Annapolis Rock on the Appalachian Trail. It began to rain on us when we were half way to Annapolis Rocks and was absolutely pouring when we reached the campground off the AT. Luckily this tent goes up quickly and is as weather-resistant as they come. We stayed dry all night in driving rain and fierce thunderstorms. Since then this tent has been used on many overnight trips and it's been used to store gear in for scouting trips. On one such trip in Gettysburg, out of 17 scouting families this tent and my REI Kingdom 6 (a $500 tent) were the only two tents that didn't leak.

This tent is a medium-sized free-standing tent that weighs in a little over 5 pounds with fly, poles, and stakes included. It has served me very well and for the price it is highly recommended. You won't make any of your minimalist friends envious with this tent, but you'll have a bombproof shelter for well under $100.